POLSC332: The Presidency and the Executive Branch

Unit 6: Presidential Elections and the Media
*You must have a firm grasp of the presidential election process in
order to understand the nature of the job and the performance of those
who occupy the presidency. Accordingly, in this unit, you will learn
about the presidential election process in some detail.

The unit begins with an overview of US elections. The second subunit
focuses on the nature of the Electoral College, with a normative
discussion about its utilization. The third subunit discusses the nature
of our two-party system and what obstacles third-party candidates face
while trying run for the presidency. Next, we will look at the two-part
presidential election process: party nomination and general election.
Finally, the most recent presidential elections are also discussed in
some detail.*

Unit 6 Time Advisory
Time Advisory: Completing this unit should take you approximately 5.75
hours.

☐ Subunit 6.1: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 6.2: 15 minutes

☐ Subunit 6.3: 30 minutes

☐ Subunit 6.4: 30 minutes

☐ Subunit 6.5: 30 minutes

☐ Subunit 6.6: 1 hour

☐ Subunit 6.7: 2 hours

Unit6 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- discuss the US presidential election process;
- explain how the Electoral College functions;
- analyze historical elections in which the Electoral College played a
role in the outcome;
- debate the usefulness of the Electoral College;
- explain the obstacles to third-party presidential candidates;
- describe the difference between a caucus and primary election;
- debate the pros and cons of caucus and primary elections;
- explain the process and politics of presidential general elections;
and
- analyze the historical context and implications of recent
presidential elections.

6.1 US Election
- Reading: Bureau of International Information Programs, US
Department of State: “USA Elections in Brief”
Link: Bureau of International Information Programs, US Department of
State: “USA Elections in
Brief”
(PDF)

Instructions: Please read this article about the US election
process.
Reading this selection and taking notes should take approximately 1
hour.
Terms of use: This material is in the public domain.

Link: YouTube: Khan Academy: [“Electoral
College”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtajaVtz-wU) (YouTube)
Instructions: This video provides a helpful primer on the role of
the Electoral College in electing US presidents. Despite its
criticisms, why has the Electoral College been able to adapt and
endure over two centuries of sometimes controversial presidential
elections?
Watching this video and taking notes should take approximately 15
minutes.
Terms of Use: This resource is licensed under a [Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/). It
is attributed to the Khan Academy and can be viewed in its original
form
[here](https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/american-civics/v/electoral-college).

Instructions: Read this article about the early history of the
Electoral College. Please also click on the link to the historical
document to see what an original tally of the Electoral College vote
would have looked like.
Reading this selection and taking notes should take approximately
30 minutes.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

6.4 The Debate over the Electoral College
- Reading: Bureau of International Information Programs, US
Department of State: Ross K. Baker and Jamie Raskin’s “Has the
Electoral College Outlived Its Usefulness?”
Link: Bureau of International Information Programs, US Department of
State: Ross K. Baker and Jamie Raskin’s “Has the Electoral College
Outlived Its
Usefulness?”
(HTML)

Instructions: This article discusses both sides of the current
debate surrounding the existence of the Electoral College.
Reading this selection and taking notes should take approximately
30 minutes.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please read the entire article about third parties in
the United States.
Reading this selection and taking notes should take approximately
30 minutes.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please view all of the content of this slideshow
presentation for “Topic 2: Primaries, Caucuses, and the
Conventions,” which may be selected at the top of the webpage. You
may also want to click on the “Text” tab to read about what is being
presented as well as click on the thumbnails below “Explore.”
Viewinig this presentation and taking notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.
Terms of Use: This resource is licensed under a [Creative Commons
Attribution-Share-Alike License
3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). It is
attributed to The Regents of the University of California, and the
original version can be found
[here](http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/AmericanGovernment/course%20files/multimedia/lesson15/lessonp.html).

Reading this selection and taking notes should take approximately
15 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

6.7 Presidential General Elections
- Web Media: The Regents of the University of California: US
Government and Politics: “Presidential Elections, Topic 3: General
Elections”
Link: The Regents of the University of California: US Government and
Politics: “Presidential Elections, Topic 3: General
Elections”(Adobe
Flash)

Instructions: Please view the slideshow presentation linked here.
After you click on the link above, select “Start Lesson,” choose
“Topic 3: General Elections,” watch the presentation, click on and
read the “Text,” and click on and view any thumbnails under
“Explore.”
Watching this presentation and taking notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.
Terms of Use: This resource is licensed under a [Creative Commons
Attribution-Share-Alike License
3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). It is
attributed to The Regents of the University of California, and the
original version can be found
[here](http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/AmericanGovernment/course%20files/multimedia/lesson15/lessonp.html).